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Cellist Raphael Wallfisch and violinist Sara Bitlloch join Donald Macleod to discuss how Beethoven's work had the effect of turning chamber music professional.

This week cellist Raphael Wallfisch and violinist Sara Bitlloch join Donald Macleod to talk about Beethoven’s early chamber music from 1795 to 1811, including beloved works such as the ‘Razumovsky’ quartets, the ‘Kreutzer’ violin sonata, and the ‘Ghost’ and ‘Archduke’ piano trios.

Today they look at how Beethoven’s music, as it developed and became more complex, had the effect of turning chamber music professional: what he was writing was too challenging for amateur players, and often too serious for the salon.

We hear great music from the Razumovsky String Quartets, the Kreutzer Violin Sonata, the Septet and the Kakadu Variations.

The ‘Razumovskys’ were composed between April and November of 1806, at the end of what was an astonishingly productive three years of Beethoven’s life, when he produced a series of radically different masterpieces.

Piano Trio Op 121a, “Kakadu Variations”
Florestan Trio

String Quartet in F major No 7, Op 59 (“Razumovsky”) (4th movement)
Takács Quartet

Violin Sonata in A major No. 9 Op 47 ("Kreutzer") (1st movement)
Itzhak Perlman, violin
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

Septet in E flat major for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass Op 20 (2nd movement)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble

Produced by Iain Chambers for ѿý Wales

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Variations on 'Ich bin der schneider Kakadu' for piano trio, Op 121a

    Ensemble: The Florestan Trio.
    • HYPERION : cda-67369.
    • HYPERION.
    • 6.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    String Quartet in F major, Op 59 No 1 (Rasumovsky) (4th movement)

    Ensemble: Takács Quartet.
    • Decca 470 847-2.
    • Decca.
    • 4.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Violin Sonata in A major, Op 47 (Kreutzer) (1st movement)

    Performer: Itzhak Perlman. Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • DECCA 421 453-2.
    • DECCA.
    • 1.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Septet in E flat major, Op 20 (2nd movement)

    Ensemble: Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble.
    • CHANDOS : CHAN-9718.
    • CHANDOS.
    • 6.

Broadcast

  • Wed 12 Feb 2020 12:00

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